


Walk The Earth

by solarbaby614



Category: Shelter (2007)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombies, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-16
Updated: 2011-05-16
Packaged: 2017-10-19 11:22:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/200285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solarbaby614/pseuds/solarbaby614
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shaun died. Then he woke up. Pre-Shaun/Zach.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Walk The Earth

**Author's Note:**

> It’s not a typical death fic and defiantly not angsty. It’s basically zombie!Shaun, only not. Written for shelter_diner’s Halloween Fest ‘10. Based off the web series Woke Up Dead.

“Welcome to Zombies-R-Us. How may we help you in your post mortem regenerative needs today?”

Shaun froze and glanced around the cold, clinical room before he turned to stare at the at the guy behind the desk, who looked completely serious even though he thought he saw mirth in his eyes. “Um, I’m looking for Dr. Moreau?”

The guy didn’t even blink. “Do you have an appointment?”

He rubbed the back of his head, scratching his head. “Not exactly. Gary Mitchell sent me?”

There was finally a reaction. The guy rolled his eyes but nodded before sticking a couple of pieces of paper on a clipboard and held it out for him to take. “Fill these out and we’ll get you set up.”

He took it from him and sent the guy a slight grin, getting a quirk of the lips in response.

“Alright,” desk guy said, glancing down at the papers when Shaun handed them back and typing something on the computer. Then he frowned and flipped through the pages before looking back up at Shaun. “So what seems to be the problem?”

“Well,” started Shaun. “I think I’m kind of dead.”

-

“Well, damn,” the woman in the lab coat, who introduced herself as Dr. Kate Moreau, said. “I thought Zach had been joking when he brought me your paperwork.”

“I’m afraid not.”

“So,” she glanced down at the papers again before tossing them on the table. “You say you’re dead.”

“Yeah.” Shaun nodded, hopping on the table when the doctor motion toward it. “I think so, anyways.” The doctor pressed the stethoscope against his chest and then frowned and moved it.

“Well, its easy enough to prove.” She wrote something down on the papers. “Okay, off with the shirt.” The stethoscope was pressed against him again and she frowned. “Arm,” she demanded, holding out her hand. The frown deepened when the stethoscope was placed on it.

“Something wrong?”

She gave him a sardonic look, pulling the earpieces from her ears. “You, sir, don’t appear to have a pulse.”

“So, dead, right?”

“There are a few more tests I need to do before I answer that.” The clip board was back in her hands as she made more notes. Shaun tried to lean over and see what it said but she pulled it back. “So when did you first notice something was wrong?”

“My brother found me in the bottom of my parents pool and pulled me out. According to him I wasn’t breathing, I had no pulse, and I looked kind of blue.” Shaun shrugged. “And then, I woke up.”

“I can see how that would be a problem.”

“Yeah,” Zach appeared in the doorway, a tray of strange looking objects in his arms. “That tends to freak people out.”

“So this has happened before?”

Zach and the doctor exchanged looks.

“Not exactly,” Dr. Moreau admitted.

He was there for almost an hour, poked and prodded with almost scientific curiosity before he heard the words he had been longing to hear.

"We'll just take some blood to figure out your rate of decay and you can be on your way."

"Rate of decay what?" asked Shaun, watching with almost morbid fascination as she drew blood.

"There we go," she said, handing Zach the vial before turning back to find the mark on Shaun's arm already gone. "Huh." She raised an eyebrow, amused. "Handy. So just make an appointment with Zach on your way out for Monday and we'll see what I can find out." Dr. Moreau turned and walked out leaving Shaun no choice but to follow Zach back to the waiting room.

"You'll just have ignore Dr. Moreau. She gets like that sometimes." Zach took a seat at the desk.

Shaun shrugged. He could hardly blame her; after all, he could hardly believe it himself. Zach though, he didn't seem phased by it. Shaun found himself oddly comforted by that. "So what's this rate of decay thing?"

"It's an estimated timeframe before you start falling apart." There was an alarmed look on Shaun's face as he continued. "When someone brings someone back the spell basically starts eating at a persons residual life energy. Nothing that hurts the person or their soul or anything." Zach hastened to explain when Shaun made a panicked noise. "It’s just the body energy that slows down a persons aging. It's a complicated process and to be honest I don't completely understand it. But that's why there are laws determining how long a person can be dead before they can't be brought back and how long someone can be brought back."

"So I'm just going to start falling apart?"

Zach sent him a pained look. "That's generally how it works. It may not happen for weeks though. That usually depends on the strength of the caster. The stronger the person’s ability the longer the rate of decay will hold off.”

“Can’t they do something? Isn’t that what the Witch Doctor’s are for?”

Zach flinched.

“Hah!” They both turned to find Dr. Moreau in the doorway. “Those quacks couldn’t fix a cold! Just because that stupid book came out and all of a sudden everyone who can half pronounce the words thinks they’re witch doctors.” She was angry, hands flailing in gestures that Shaun couldn’t figure out. “Just because someone can raise the dead doesn’t mean they should!” Giving a huff, she turned to Zach. “Did you make him an appointment?”

He nodded and handed Shaun a card.

“Good. Now shoo!” She practically shoved Shaun out the door. “I’ve got tests to do and spells to run."

Shaun turned back and saw Zach mouth ‘sorry’ over her shoulder.

Then the door was slammed shut in his face and the open sign flipped off.

-

"You know," Zach said, when Shaun came in a few months later for his latest appointment, "you don't have to do this every time you come in."

"Do what?" he asked, handing Zach a coffee and offering a donut out of the box.

Zach took them with a grateful look and devoured half of the donut before answering. "Bring in breakfast."

"Well you guys are helping me."

He rolled his eyes. "A service which you're paying for." The rest of the donut disappeared and he grabbed another one. "A very expensive service at that."

Shaun just shrugged. "So what's in store for me today?"

Zach checked the file on his desk. "There's an MRI and a couple of spell tests. It'll be a few minutes though," he said as he leaned back in the chair. "She’s got a last minute client back there and there's no telling how long they'll be."

"That's fine," he replied and instead of taking one of the nice comfy chairs, Shaun grabbed one of the folding chairs leaning against the wall and pulled it up beside him.

Zach just sighed and went back to his paperwork, a smile tugging at the edge of his mouth.

-

“So what’s the verdict?”

Dr. Moreau dropped a pile of paperwork on her desk and glanced up at Shaun, before dropping down into her chair. “Well, you’re definitely dead.”

There was a long pause before Shaun said, “And…”

“Well, there appears to be no signature to the spell, so finding out who did this will be nearly impossible, and your rate of decay is no faster than it would be if you were alive.” She gave a sigh. “Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it before. I’ve never seen any of the so called professionals pull off anything so powerful and I doubt they even could if they tried.”

“So what does that mean for me?” Shaun asked, gripping his arm rests enough that they started to crack. She sent him a stern look and he forced him self to let go.

“There are a few more avenues I can try. There are some strong former practitioners in the areas that might have the power to do something like this. They might be able to point me in the direction of who did it. Other than that,” Dr. Moreau shrugged, “there isn’t much more I can do.”

“Fantastic,” Shaun groaned, rubbing his face and stood up. “Thank you for your help though.”

“Anytime,” she said absently as she nodded, already dismissing him.

Zach was at his desk when he entered the room, talking on the phone in a hushed voice. Shaun wasn’t trying to eavesdrop but he couldn’t help it. “…can’t Jeannie. No, I don’t have a way… Don’t start--. Of course--. You… Fine. I’ll find a way.” He all but slammed the phone, clinching his jaw. “Jesus,” he muttered.

“Everything okay?” Shaun asked tentatively.

“Yeah,” Zach didn’t even look up as he bit the words out. “Everything’s just fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!” snapped Zach, glancing up. He blinked when he saw Shaun, as if he hadn’t realized he was there, and immediately looked ashamed, blushing. “Sorry… it’s just… my nephew’s sick and I have to find a way to pick him up from school. My sister is using my car.”

“Well,” Shaun bit his bottom lip, unsure, “my jeep is outside. I could give you a ride?”

Zach shook his head. “I couldn’t ask you do that.”

“You’re not asking,” Shaun told him, more confident, “I’m offering.”

He looked like he was going to refuse again but then paused, sending a quick glance at the pause, and nodded. “Sure.” There was relief on Zach’s face and gratitude. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.” Shaun couldn’t help the grin that spread over his face as Zach spoke to the doctor before he followed him out the door.


End file.
